Ethical Extensionism

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Ethical Extensionism
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Key Questions

• Who and what count morally?
• Where do we draw these boundaries of moral
  consideration?
• What is the philosophical basis for establishing
  moral standing?

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Anthropocentrism

• Definition
• Only humans have moral value 
• Justification
• Essential characteristic(s) that set humans apart
  from the rest of creation
• Criticisms
• Deny criterion
• Deny nonhumans exclusion from criterion

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Anthropocentric Extensionism

• Definition
• Practice of extending moral standing to include
• Future generations
• New human rights
• Ethics goes beyond traditional boundaries
• Still only humans possess moral standing

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Nonanthropocentric Extensionism

• Definition
• Moral standing granted to natural objects like
  animals and plants
• Candidates
• Animals, plants, and species
• Natural objects like rivers, mountains, and
  wilderness areas
• Earth itself

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Early Anthropocentric ExtensionismJohn
Passmores Mans Responsibility for Nature (1974)

• Eliminate unreasonable or dangerous alternatives
• Weakness of western tradition
• Encourages viewing humans as superior to nature
  and therefore justified in dominating it 
• Strengths of western tradition
• Conventional morality and standard applied ethics
  can involve environmental concern
• Dont injure fellow human beings
• No new ethic needed Adherence to traditional
  moral principles is needed

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Early Anthropocentric ExtensionismJohn
Passmores Mans Responsibility for Nature (1974)

• Aesthetic value
• A more sensuous attitude towards the world
• Contrary to puritan attacks on sensuousness
• New environmental ethic
• People only care for things that they look at
  sensuously
• Aesthetic value must play a prominent roll
• Anthropocentrism

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Early Anthropocentric ExtensionismBlackstones
Philosophy Environmental Crisis (1974)

• Deontology (rights duties)
• There are universal inalienable human rights
• These entail a corresponding duty
• Moral duty limits our liberties
• A new right
• The right to a livable environment
• Trumps mere wants when two conflict
• Basic human rights cannot be realized unless more
  basic right is achieved
• No one should be denied this right

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Early Anthropocentric ExtensionismBlackstones
Philosophy Environmental Crisis (1974)

• Anthropocentrism
• Like Passmore, thoroughly human-centered 
• Criticisms
• Right to a livable environment is not
  fundamental 
• Only negative rights exist
• Blackstones right does nothing that traditional
  ethical and legal concepts dont already do
• Positive rights cant exist
• See DesJardins p. 102-103

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Early Nonanthropocentric ExtensionismFeinbergs
The Rights of Animals and Unborn Generations
(1974)

• Importance
• for first time philosophers extended moral
  consideration to nonhuman animals. 
• A rights-based approach
• We have a duty to animals
• Fulfilling duty must be good for animals
  themselves.
• Duty comes from animals have interests that can
  be promoted or harmed
• Interests conative life
• Minimal cognitive equipment is needed for
  conative life.

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Early Nonanthropocentric ExtensionismFeinbergs
The Rights of Animals and Unborn Generations
(1974)

•  Morel duties to
• Individual higher animals
• Future generations
• No moral duties to
• Individual lower animals (merely pests)
• Plants
• Species as a whole 

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Early Nonanthropocentric ExtensionismChristopher
Stones Should Trees Have Standing? (1974)

• Background
• Stone represented Sierra Club ski resort suit
  against Walt Disney Enterprises
• Originally Sierra Clubs suit thrown out because
  Sierra Club members could not show they would
  suffer any harm
• Stones essay argued that
• Natural objects should have legal standing
• Sierra club should be legal guardian

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Early Nonanthropocentric ExtensionismChristopher
Stones Should Trees Have Standing? (1974)

• Argument
• List of rights-holders has been continually
  evolving and expanding
• Landowning white adult males, Nonlandowning
  people, Women, Persons of color, Corporations
  cities
• Time to extend legal rights to natural objects
• Legal rights provide
• Guardian
• Compensation for injury
• Criticisms
• Can we agree on interests of natural objects?
• Who should represent interests?